Navigation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9482541-B2
Application number	US-201514949175-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2015
Priority date	Mar 13, 2015
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

A required time calculator calculates a virtual required time period when a first movable body is assumed to travel a second route different from a first route the first movable body actually travels and arrive at a second point. The required time calculator preferentially acquires position information from a second movable body having information indicating a movement characteristic similar to information indicating the movement characteristic of the first movable body from among one or more of second movable bodies. The required time calculator calculates the virtual required time period using the acquired position information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A navigation system capable of acquiring a first required time period and a second required time period, wherein the first required time period is a time period required for a first movable body to arrive at a second point from a first point via a first route and the second required time period is a time period required for a second movable body moving along a second route different from the first movable body to arrive at the second point from the first point, the navigation system comprising:
a storage section, which stores information indicating respective movement characteristics of the first movable body and the second movable body, wherein the information is defined in advance and the movement characteristics are classified by one or more factors that affect an arrival time when the first movable body and the second movable body travel an identical route;
a movement characteristic information acquiring section configured to acquire the information indicating the movement characteristics of the first movable body and the information indicating the movement characteristics of the second movable body from the storage section; and
a required time calculator, which calculates a third required time period which is a virtually required time period when the first movable body is assumed to arrive at the second point after movement the second route, which is different from the first route, along which the first movable body actually has moved, wherein
the second movable body, which has passed through the first point as in the case of the first movable body, is one or more second movable bodies,
the required time calculator is configured to preferentially acquire position information from the second movable body having the information indicating a movement characteristic similar to the information indicating the movement characteristic of the first movable body from among the one or more second movable bodies, and
the required time calculator is configured to calculate the third required time period using the acquired position information.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification consignment transmitting section, which transmits notification consignment to the one or more second movable bodies, which have the information indicating a movement characteristic similar to the information indicating the movement characteristic of the first movable body, wherein
the second movable body that has received the notification consignment is consigned to notify the required time calculator of the position information,
when the second movable body that has received the notification consignment leaves the second route directed to the second point, the notification consignment transmitting section generates the notification consignment such that the second movable body acquires the information indicating movement characteristics of other one or more movable bodies on the second route directed to the second point, and
the notification consignment transmitting section generates the notification consignment such that the second movable body leaving the second route transmits the notification consignment to a mobile unit having the information indicating a movement characteristic similar to that of the first movable body from among the other one or more movable bodies.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein
the required time calculator is configured to predict the first required time period using the position of the first movable body,
the required time calculator is configured to predict the second required time period using the position information notified from the second movable body, and
the navigation system further comprises a display section, which is configured to display a mark indicating a result of comparison between the first required time period and the second required time period on a map image.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein the storage section stores, as the information indicating the movement characteristic, information indicating at least one of:
movable body static information, which is static information related to the first movable body and the second movable body;
movable body dynamic information, which is changing information related to the first movable body and the second movable body including an average speed or the number of occupants of the movable bodies; and
user information related to the respective users of the first movable body and the second movable body.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a movement time calculator, which is configured to calculate a movement time for the second movable body from the movement result of the second movable body, wherein the movement time calculator is configured to calculate a movement time for the second movable body for each of a plurality of sections into which the route the second movable body travels is divided;
an average movement time acquiring section configured to acquire an average movement time associated with the section; and
a traveling result evaluation section configured to compare a movement time calculated for each section and the average movement time, wherein the traveling result evaluation section is configured to notify the user of the first movable body of a section longer than the average movement time or a section shorter than the average movement time.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fukushima Toru

Classifications

• G01C21/367

  Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker · CPC title

• G01C21/34 Primary

  Route searching; Route guidance · CPC title

• G01C21/3415 Primary

  Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents · CPC title

• G08G1/207

  with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries · CPC title

• G08G1/0112

  from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD] · CPC title